Accenture has reportedly started calling its 800,000 employees “reinventors” as the consultancy tries to establish itself as a leader in artificial intelligence.
The consultancy’s chief executive, Julie Sweet, has already started referring to staff by the new label and the business is now pushing to use the term more widely, the Financial Times reported, citing people at the company.
The “Reinventor” label came from a restructuring at Accenture in June, which merged its strategy, consulting, creative, technology and operations divisions into a single entity called “Reinvention Services”.
The new tag for consultants is the latest in a long list of unusual jargon that big businesses have foisted on their employees, and some tech employees are now called “ninjas”, “growth hackers” and “evangelists”.
Interesting job titles are also popular in the media and entertainment industries, including Walt Disney, where the technical specialists who design and build its theme parks are called “imagineers”.
The “Reinventor” push from Accenture comes as it moves to increase its focus on its AI capabilities. Sweet told investors in September that the consultancy would “weed out” employees who don’t have the knowledge to use AI at work.
The New York-based group said it is training employees in generative AI fundamentals, but that employees for whom “based on our experience, reskilling is not a viable path to the skills we require” will be shown the door.
The consultancy also reportedly created a version of its internal human resources website where employees are referred to as “reinvestors” instead of “workers,” the FT reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Accenture, which was created in 1989 from now-defunct accountant Arthur Andersen, works with thousands of companies around the world, offering IT and business strategy consulting and outsourcing.
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The company benefited from strong demand for tech consulting after the pandemic, but its shares, which are listed in New York, have suffered this year after Donald Trump ordered US government agencies to review their spending with big consultants.
The consultancy reported a 7% annual rise in revenue to $69.7 billion (£52.7 billion) for the financial year ended in August, but warned investors that US federal spending cuts would probably slow its growth next year. It has lost more than a quarter of its market value so far this year, which is now $155 billion.
Accenture was contacted for comment.
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